Caregiving Money MattersCost of Informal Caregiving Is $522 Billion Annually By thirdAGE articleThe price tag for informal caregiving of elderly people by friends and relatives in the United States comes to $522 … Read More→
CaregivingHidden Population: Tween and Teen Caregivers By Jane Farrell articleWhile the typical preteen or adolescent can be found playing sports or video games after school, more than 1.3 million … Read More→
_ Many Older People Not Getting Help They Need By Jane Farrell articleEighteen million people – nearly half of all older adults in the U.S. – have difficulty with daily activities or … Read More→
_ CaregivingMindfulness Training for Caregivers & Loved Ones By Sondra Forsyth articleMindfulness training for people with early-stage dementia and their caregivers together in the same class turned out to be beneficial … Read More→
_ Caregiving5 Questions About Long-Distance Caregiving By Sondra Forsyth articleWhat is long-distance caregiving? It can be helping Aunt Lilly sort through her medical bills or thinking about how to make the most of a weekend visit with Mom. It can include checking the references of an aide who’s been hired to help your grandfather or trying to take the pressure off your sister who lives in the same town as both your aging parents and her aging in-laws.Here, from the National Institute on Aging, are the answers to five key questions about long-distance caregiving:
_ CaregivingDaughters, Not Sons, Are the Caregivers By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers at Princeton University found women appear to provide as much elderly parent care as they can, while men contribute as little as possible. The study was presented in August 2014 at at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco.
_ Aging Well Caregiving3 Tips for Choosing an Assisted-Living Home for Your Parents By Sondra Forsyth article By Peder JohnsenSeventy percent of people age 65 and older will need long-term care at some point in their lives, according to a 2014 study by CareScout, a division of Genworth Financial Services. But that doesn’t mean they have to sacrifice quality of life. In fact, a person who needs some assistance with day-to-day living will often find he or she is much happier in a good assisted-living community with an atmosphere that reminds them of their former home.
_ Exercise For Alzheimer's Patients By Jane Farrell articleEditor’s Note: Exercise has myriad benefits, and the same holds true for people with Alzheimer’s. In addition to mental exercise and social interaction, physical activity is essential. It can help keep muscles and the heart in shape, reduce stress and depression and maintain an even weight. The companionship it provides with visitors or caregivers can also be helpful. Here, from the National Institute on Aging’s Go4Life program, are some tips for caregivers to help their loved ones get into a physical routine, or maintain one:
_ Caregivers for Wounded Veterans By articleMore than 1.1 million spouses, parents, and friends are caring for the injured and disabled who have served in the U.S. military since Sept. 11, 2001, often doing so without a formal support network and putting their own well-being at risk, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
CaregivingCaregiving Challenges: Bathing and Personal Hygiene By articleBy Diane Blum As Alzheimer’s progresses, poor hygiene can often become more than just an unpleasant issue. It can have medical consequences, such as bacterial infections including UTIs. Gastroenteritis and other health issues can also occur, some quite serious to an immune system weakened as Alzheimer’s progresses.
_ Caregivers and Exercise By Jane Farrell articleAccording to Sherri Snelling, ThirdAge contributor and founder of The Caregiving Club (www.caregivingclub.com), there are 65 million family caregivers in the United States. It’s no surprise that many of them, alone with that emotionally and physically draining task, become depressed. In turn, that can lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as failure to exercise, bad eating habits and tobacco and alcohol use.
The Best Nutrition for Cancer Patients By Jane Farrell articleNutritional support for cancer patients is more crucial than many of us realize. In fact, an estimated 20 to 40 percent of cancer patients die from malnutrition-related causes. In some ways, that is unfortunately not surprising, given the side effects that usually occur with chemotherapy or radiation. But, according to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), even just a 5 percent weight loss in a month can decrease a patient’s tolerance for treatment, or can alter their treatment plan.
_ In-home Caregiving Extends Patient's Life By Jane Farrell articleAn in-home program that provided elderly people with counseling and resources increased the time they lived successfully at home, even with dementia and other memory disorders. Most of the participants in the study said they preferred to stay at home. The pilot program, conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, focused on elderly Baltimore residents over a period of 18 months.
_ Financial Issues for Caregivers By articleBy Hilary Young While caring for a loved one may seem like the better, cheaper alternative to assisted living, there are actually many financial issues to consider. Understanding these issues and knowing how to cope with them is vital because people are now living longer than ever before and many family members will eventually take on the role of caregiver.
_ Caregiving Doesn't Cause Depression By Jane Farrell articleA caregiver’s depression appears to be related to family and genetic factors more than the difficulty of the caregiving itself, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Washington analyzed 1,228 female twins. Some were caregivers and some were not. When it comes to life's stressors, most people would put caregiving at the top of the list. But according to Peter Vitaliano, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at UW, there never have been data actually showing caregiving causes psychological distress.
_ Needed: A New Approach to Health-Care Surrogates By Jane Farrell articleAlmost half of hospitalized Americans 65 and older need decision-making assistance from family members because they are too impaired to make decisions on their own, a new study has found. And those health-care surrogates need to be taken more seriously. Most surrogates are children or spouses. Some patients have two or more family members making decisions toether. Researchers from Indiana University said the problem is only going to grow more prevalent as the U.S.
_ Caregiving is Tough Even for Geriatrics Professionals By Jane Farrell articleThe difficulties of caregiving seem to be universal: even specialists in geriatrics can find it hard to deal with in their own lives. That discovery, by researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), appears in the journal Gerontologist.
_ How to Handle A Clingy Elder By Jane Farrell articleBy Sheri Samotin One of the most frequent concerns I hear from caregivers is how to deal with a care recipient who never wants his or her caregiver out of sight. This can be a real challenge for caregivers who need to work, take care of other family members, or just have a little time to him or herself. It is also often hard for caregivers to tell the difference between helping and enablinga loved one.